Frequently Asked Questions

Program Location

“Oxford still remains the most beautiful thing in England, and nowhere else are life and art so exquisitely blended, so perfectly made one.” - Oscar Wilde

The program is in the heart of the academic community at Oxford, one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in the world. You will study at Wycliffe Hall and enjoy all the benefits of the great city of Oxford.

Oxford is located an hour to an hour and a half from the center of London by train or bus.

The area surrounding Oxford is rural with farmland, but Oxford itself is a city with a small-town feel. Bordering the academic castles are cobbled streets with small shops; bicyclists weave in and out of traffic. The libraries contain so many volumes that the stacks must be housed below ground - so as you walk, you walk over books.

Day trips to local historical sites are a part of the British Landscape course, and vary from year to year, but have included trips to Stonehenge, Salisbury cathedral, Winchester cathedral, Bath, and the HMS Victory moored in Portsmouth. Extracurricular travel to London during the first few weeks of the program is an option for interested students. During mid-term break, students may travel anywhere they choose, including Ireland, mainland Europe, or other UK destinations.

Academics

Oxford revolutionizes the way students learn — the way they read books, write essays, make arguments, and think. Are you ready to enter this gauntlet and emerge as a newly-minted scholar? Read the FAQ below to find out more.

You will receive 17 credits for your time in Oxford. Nine of those credits will be comprised of tutorials, the primary tutorial (six credits) and the secondary tutorial (three credits). The British Landscape (four credits) and the Integrated Seminar (four credits) are the other two courses which complete your curriculum.

You will be in four courses throughout the semester. The heart of the Oxford program is the tutorial. You will be enrolled in a primary (6 credits) and a secondary (3 credits) tutorial, which meet every week and every other week, respectively. In conjunction with your tutorial you will attend University lectures given by published scholars renowned in their fields.

The British Landscape (4 credits) takes a look at aspects of British history, geography, and culture. It is taught through viewings, lectures, and regional field trips. The Integrative seminar (4 credits) allows for reflective discussions to integrate material covered in tutorials and the University lectures. It should be in the area of your primary tutorial.

Oxford has many concentrations from which to choose: classics, English language and literature, history, history of art, modern languages, musicology, philosophy, psychology, and theology. Many students choose both tutorials within a single topic, but cross-selection between topics is allowed.

You will be taught by University faculty, including staff of the Oxford Summer Programme. These are scholars of the highest order: well-regarded and well-published. Your tutorials will be taught by tutors from Wycliffe Hall and other colleges in the University. Please see the faculty page for more info on the SSO faculty: https://bestsemester.com/locations-and-programs/oxford/faculty-and-staff

Your British Landscape and Integrative Seminar courses will be comprised of other SSO students from North American universities. Your tutorials will be a one-on-one discussion with your tutor, an intellectual luminary in the field of your choosing. University lectures will take place among students from throughout the Oxford colleges.

Travel

What do you need to know before you step on that plane? Read the FAQ below to find out!

You will purchase your flight to the UK a few months before the program. If you are accepted, we’ll send you more details on when to book the flight and how to find your way to your new home. If you fly from the East Coast of the U.S. to London, it’s about a 7-hour flight, and from London's Heathrow airport to Oxford city center, it's an hour and a half bus ride.

It depends! If you are a US or Canadian citizen and only studying for one semester in the UK, you will not need a visa. If you are not a US or Canadian citizen, you should look at the UK Border Agency website to learn if you need a visa.

If you are a non-EU country citizen and studying for more than one semester, you will need a visa for your time in Oxford. We will give you more information about this if/when you are accepted.

In the past, students have found it prohibitively difficult to host visitors during the semester due to the amount and intensity of their academic work. For this reason, we suggest that friends and family visit before or after the semester, when you will have free time to tour the country. Hosting visitors after the semester ends can be especially valuable, as you’ll already be an expert in the area!

Daily Life

Students are sometimes surprised by how different day-to-day life in Oxford can look. In this week’s FAQ series, we'll answer some common questions about living in SSO.

● The North Wing is a part of the main building of Wycliffe Hall and is a short 10 minute walk to the city centre of Oxford. The North Wing has rooms spread over four floors with bathrooms on each floor. There are common rooms, laundry facilities, a dining room, and a large kitchen.

● The Vines, a modest mansion with a beautiful view, is a 35 minute walk to the city centre of Oxford. It also has a common room, dining room, large kitchen, and laundry facilities.

If you are accepted to the program, you will be asked to fill out a housing form in which you may indicate the housing option you prefer.

You will prepare your own meals in the community kitchens and shop at the main supermarkets. Students often join meal groups to rotate making dinner for each other. Oxford also has many wonderful cafes and pubs, including the famous Queen's Lane Coffee House (reputedly the oldest cafe in Europe) and The Eagle and Child, where Tolkein and Lewis met weekly to discuss their writing with the other Inklings.

You will get plenty of invites to tea times throughout the week. Many students acquire such a taste for tea, and for the social rejuvenation of these respites, that they bring the custom back home at the program's end.

Bikes and your own feet. Start breaking in your shoes now! Oxford is city of bicyclists and pedestrians. Although buses are easily accessible, most students prefer the freedom and pace of foot travel. If you live in The Vines, you’ll have the option to use a bike for the semester for easy access to Wycliffe Hall and Oxford city centre. In the North Wing, you’ll have the option to rent a bike to access city centre even more quickly.

On a daily basis! Although your lectures will be with other North American college students, you’ll be studying in the library with, purchasing coffee from, walking/biking alongside, and attending church with locals. As a Registered Visiting Student, you'll also have the freedom to join countless clubs, teams, theatres, and organizations across the colleges.

Many students find it refreshing to be without a cell phone for a semester. However, if you would like to bring your own, make sure to talk to your service provider about your options. If your phone is unlocked and compatible with overseas SIM cards, you can purchase this card upon arrival. You could also purchase a pay-by-the-minute track phone. More information on this is given during orientation. See Jacques Ellul’s 76 Reasonable Questions for more details: https://www.bestsemester.com/locations-and-programs/oxford/FAQ/76-reason...

Community and Spiritual Life

As you prepare for this uniquely challenging opportunity, know that you are not alone. Oxford and its faculty, staff, and fellow scholars will join you and equip you as you face the challenges, and celebrate the gifts, of life as an Oxford University student. Read this week's FAQ to find out more about the community and spiritual life of SSO.

Fifty to sixty North American students will make up your new community. As expats, you'll form quick bonds within a British culture that may seem familiar at first, but in time reveals fascinating differences in custom, humor, faith, and more. The JCR (Junior Common Room) is a group of elected fellow students who organize regular fun events for the group. Each semester's group chooses different activities, but the end-of-term "open mic night" is an enduring classic.

Absolutely. We encourage you to find a church home in one of the many local cathedrals, house churches, or other diverse places of worship. Not only will these communities support you spiritually, but they will connect you to other students, faculty, and families from colleges throughout the University.

As a Registered Visiting Student, you will have the option to join University clubs and groups across Oxford. In the past students have played club sports, joined orchestras and ensemble groups, sang in choruses, or joined theatres featuring productions at end of the term.